Everything went as planned. Hackers in the NYC area hit targets throughout Polytechnic University this November 14 - 17...

Held every November and organized by students in the SFS (Scholarship for Service) program and ISIS (Information Systems & Internet Security) laboratory at Polytechnic University, CSAW brings together some of the best young minds in information security in the NYC area and promotes awareness of security issues to the public at large. Competitions are held to challenge the skills of students in the areas of penetration testing, exploit development, digital forensics, reverse engineering, and more. A number of new challenges popped up this year to bring in a non-technical, but interested, crowd such as an essay contest and a security awareness poster contest. The students also ran a week-long series of lectures, a laptop check-up station, and gave out customized Linux distributions loaded with security tools to help promote interest in security to the student body.

Over $5,000 in addition to numerous iPods, cameras, and motherboards were given away thanks to our security conscious sponsors: National Security Agency, Microsoft, Avaya Labs, InterDigital, Intel, BAE Systems, HP, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, ISSA, Thomson Research and Pitney Bowes.

The week long event concluded with an award ceremony which included a key note address by Brenda Oldfield, Director for Education and Training in the Strategic Initiatives Branch, National Cyber Security Division of the Department of Homeland Security who stressed the importance of promoting the development of cyber security professionals.

For more information visit the official CSAW website at http://isis.poly.edu/csaw

Reported by:
Daniel Guido, B.S. '07
Martin Goldberg, M.S. '06
Dimitry Averin, M.S. '06
2005 CSAW @ Poly Organizing Team